Amazon announced Thursday it is partnering with more than 140 universities and colleges to provide fully paid tuition for more than 750,000 hourly Amazon workers.
In Tennessee, the University of Memphis, Southwest Tennessee Community College, and Middle Tennessee State University, along with Chattanooga State Community College, Motlow State Community College, Volunteer State Community College, and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga are taking part in the program.
Amazon said it is also working with GEDWorks and Smart Horizons to provide employees with free high school completion and GED preparation, Voxy EnGen and goFLUENT to provide English language proficiency training, and Outlier to provide college preparation courses.
According to Amazon, its $1.2 billion investment to the Career Choice program, an education benefit that encourages company employees to master new career skills, is expected to aid more than 300,000 employees by 2025. Amazon said that it hopes the program will help employees move “into higher-paying, in-demand jobs.”
“We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere,” Tammy Thieman, Global Program Lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program said. “We have intentionally cultivated a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience.”
For more information on Amazon’s Career Choice, CLICK HERE.
“As a new Amazon employee, I’m excited to join the Career Choice program,” said Timothy Burdue, an employee at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Memphis, Tennessee. “I’m so glad they have updated the Career Choice eligibility requirement. Now, this gives me an opportunity to better my future and learn the skills I need to open my own business and advance my career.”
At the University of Memphis, officials said associates will be able to take courses on the Central campus, at U of M Lambuth or online through U of M Global.
“We’re delighted to welcome employees from the Amazon Career Choice program to UofM Global,” said Dr. Richard Irwin, executive dean for UofM Global & College Professional/Liberal Studies. “Amazon Career Choice provides us another opportunity to enhance the regional workforce through access to higher education.”
Learn more about the University of Memphis program HERE.
Southwest Tennessee Community College said the program will give Amazon employees access to more than 100 degree and certificate programs. The school said by enrolling in the college to complete associate and associate of applied science degrees and technical and institutional certificates, Amazon employees can immediately enter high-demand job markets.
“We are excited to partner with Amazon on their generous mission to remove financial barriers to college credential attainment,” Dr. Tracy D. Hall, President of Southwest Tennessee Community College, said. “The Career Choice program is an investment in Amazon employees and their families, as well as the Mid-South.
For more information on Southwest Tennessee Community College, CLICK HERE.
